Rolls manufactured in paper mills must often be moved even for long distances by means of various transfer systems. Prior to the wrapping of the rolls in a protective wrapper, they must be handled cautiously to avoid damage to the rolls from impacts on their outer plies or from frictional forces imposed on the roll due to changes in roll speed. A particular problem in the transfer of coated and calendered paper is so-called telescoping of the roll, that is, sliding-out of the inner plies of the roll relative to the outer plies so that the center of the roll protrudes out from the end of the roll. Generally, the acceleration of the roll in its axial direction can be kept sufficiently low during the start and stop of the longitudinal transfer motion of the roll so that telescoping of the roll is avoided. However, the risk of telescoping prevents the longitudinal transfer of rolls of slippery paper grades along inclined tracks, because the plies of the paper roll easily slide with respect to each other even at very small angles of slope of the track. This hampers the use of inclined transfer tracks, and in fact, any transfer of the roll possibly required in the vertical direction from one elevation to another must be implemented using vertical lifts, or alternatively, the plant layout must be designed so that all movements take place in the same vertical elevation. Obviously, this constrains the plant design and thus causes additional costs.